PREP FOOTBALL: Saints need to get key stops

By Aviel Smolka
Published in Sports on August 24, 2018 5:51 AM

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By AVIEL SMOLKA

asmolka@newsargus.com

DUDLEY -- So close and yet so far.

Up 6-0 at halftime against Wilmington Ashley, it finally looked like Southern Wayne would end its 15-game losing streak last Friday.

However, the Saints ran out of gas and the Screaming Eagles dominated the second half to the win the game 31-14.

Despite the tough loss, Southern Wayne head coach Ronnie McClary Jr. was impressed with his team's effort.

"The past couple years we've been starting off a little slow and had to play catch up in the second half," he said. "Our start was pretty good, offensively we moved the ball and defensively we shut them [Ashley] down the entire first half."

The players received a lot of compliments after the game about how well they played, but they were frustrated because they wanted to win, not just compete. McClary Jr. is glad his players are out to prove they're not the same team they were last year.

He's is teaching the team how to win games and knows turning around the Saints' culture is like running a race. It needs to be run slow and steady, if you move too fast you'll destroy any progress you've made.

The Saints also need leaders to emerge on the team and for the players to hold each other accountable when mistakes are made.

"We've got a couple ideas of who the leaders might be but until they prove themselves to the coaching staff and their teammates we'll keep looking for guys to step up," McClary Jr. said.

Southern Wayne (0-1 overall) hosts James Kenan tonight. The Tigers have beaten the Saints six straight times by a combined score of 250-64.

The Tigers are coming off a season opening 58-23 loss to Wallace-Rose Hill.

It may seem simple, but for the Saints to be successful they need to start off fast and strong, control the line scrimmage in every phase the game, avoid costly penalties, and most importantly believe they can win a game they've historically struggled in.

"We have to control the pace of the game, keep up the motivation, and we have to keep up the discipline," McClary Jr. said. "If we can put those things together and keep the mindset of whether I'm up, down, or tied we can win the game then we've got a pretty chance of winning."